Forty-eight years of Qianlong

Chapter 671

When He Lin returned to Beijing, it was already the end of June in the 58th year of Qianlong.

Returning from the vast snow-covered plateau to the world of flowers and fireworks, you can no longer hear the roar of cannons and guns, let alone the tricky timekeeping, and you can't see the tragic scenes of the two armies fighting each other and bloody fights.From the shepherd boy chasing sheep on the Qinghai grassland, to the Xintian tour of the horse-herding man in the northwest, to the zither stringed and Xiaoguan on the Gexie Tower in Xi'an, and the 36 streets and streets for sale... All kinds of worldly customs made the group feel strange and novel. It's like a world away.

Because Qianlong instructed Fu Kang'an to stay in Tibet and work with the Eighth Dalai Lama, the Seventh Panchen Lama, the ministers stationed in Tibet, and local officials in Tibet to finalize the "Imperial Regulations for the Aftermath of Tibet", and must stabilize the local situation in Tibet, so the errand of returning to Beijing to offer prisoners is very convenient. It fell on the deputy and Lin's head.

The ancients said that the major events of the country are sacrifices and military affairs.Before the expedition, worship the heaven, earth and ancestors to boost morale; when the news of victory is reported, a sacrificial ceremony is also held to fulfill the promise made during the previous sacrificial ceremony.

Since the Manchu Qing Dynasty entered the customs, although there were frequent internal and external wars and many prisoners were captured, since the Kangxi era, there has been a practice of "the suppression of thieves in the interior does not offer prisoners, but the barbarians offer prisoners."In the Qianlong era, whether it was the battle of Jinchuan or the pacification of the Junggar and Hui tribes, there were frequent military wars to expand the territory, and the ceremonies of presenting prisoners and accepting prisoners were often held, which satisfied Qianlong's psychology of great success.

Now Beihai Town has repeatedly defeated the Qing army on the battlefield outside the pass, and the trend of sending troops into the pass is becoming more and more clear.Under such circumstances, the victory of the Qingkuo War has become the only bright spot for many years, so a prisoner offering ceremony to sing praises, whitewash peace, and boost morale has become inevitable.

As Heshen's younger brother, He Lin was also the imperial envoy and minister in charge of affairs in Tibet. He was appreciated by Qianlong and was so popular; For the older generation, all they heard was flattery.However, the more so, the worse his mood became.

After the brigade arrived at the Fengtai camp, Helin handed over the Gurkha regent, Batur Saye, and several leaders to the Ministry of War. it is good.Because tomorrow I have to go to the Yuanmingyuan to meet Qianlong, and He Lin can't go home, so I just ordered someone to send a letter to enter the military aircraft office. After completing the formalities, I took my staff and long-term follower to live in the Xibianmen. post house.

At dusk, after a hasty dinner, he took his staff out for a walk.At this time, the golden crow is falling to the west, the tired bird is returning to loneliness, and every house in the city is full of cooking smoke.Walking on the street, I could vaguely hear the melodious clang of the bells in the Baiyun Temple, and the tall battlement pheasant at the West Bianmen Gate and the cornices of the temple half hidden in the luxuriant forest and bamboo were covered with a layer of golden red light.

For some reason, He Lin suddenly thought of Kong Shaoan whom he had seen in Anping Port.In the palace of the imperial court, the young man with a reserved face is now the head of Beihai Township in charge of the four counties of Jiaodong.He couldn't help thinking of a treacherous thought, if he went to work under Zhao Xin like this, what kind of official position could he be given?
The staff member who followed him was Shen Shijie, a native of Shaoxing, who had followed him as a master since Qianlong's 51st year acting as an agent for Hangzhou Weaving.Shen Shijie and Lin kept silent, and asked with a smile, "Dong Weng, are you thinking about what is right tomorrow?"

"It's easy to say what is right." He Lin came back to her senses, and said in a deep voice with her hands behind her back: "I was wondering when the emperor would let me go back to Gurkha. There are many mountains and barren land, and the only place that can be cultivated is Yangbu River valley, the annual output may be difficult to maintain."

Shen Shijie nodded and said: "The situation in Gurkha is really troublesome. Didn't He Taiyan already sign an agreement with the English? The next step is to determine the border between the two sides. It should not be a big problem. Dong Weng and Marshal Fu worked together to draw up the agreement. The terms of the "Rehabilitation Regulations" and the full implementation of the 'Golden Penba' system have made outstanding contributions, the emperor transferred you back to Beijing this time, and I am afraid that you will be appointed elsewhere."

"That's what I'm worried about. The English people in the south are definitely not the kind to be kind to people. He Taiyan has more than enough literary talent, but I'm afraid he can't do it politically."

Shen Shijie has been with He Lin for seven years, so he understands his thoughts perfectly.The two brothers of the He family, one civil and one military, no matter how hard Wen Zhishang and Lin work, it is impossible for him to become a bachelor and enter the military machine office to succeed He Shen; the only chance is military, follow Fukang'an, and get a general of the Shangzhu Kingdom , a hereditary first-class public.However, He Lin is definitely not as good as Fu Kang'an in Qianlong's mind. If he wants to make a difference, he can't stay in Tibet to fight, and He Shen will not agree.

"According to my knowledge, Dong Weng should discuss it with Zhongtang and ask him to help you. Zhao Ni didn't stop after beating Jilin this time. Yesterday's mansion said that the soldiers of the North Sea Pirates left Yitunmen There are still twenty miles, and the person who comes is not good."

The two were talking, when they suddenly heard a muffled thunder rumbling across the sky from the west. Although it was not very loud, it shook people's hearts.Then a gust of cool wind swept over the ground, with a slight rainy smell.He Lin raised her head and looked westward, only to see that the sunset glow all over the sky had disappeared at some point, black clouds rolled in, and lightning flashed in and out, and only a moment later, the entire Beijing city was shrouded in a dark twilight middle.

He Lin said: "It seems that there is going to be hail, let's go back to the posthouse."

The two entered the gate of the post house with their front feet, and the crackling hailstones fell overwhelmingly from their back feet.Yi Cheng who had been waiting outside the door hastily opened an umbrella to cover He Lin, and when he returned to the yard where he was staying after stepping on the ice particles on the ground, he just walked to the corridor, and the Yi Cheng said: "My lord, someone just delivered A letter came, saying it was from He Zhongtang’s mansion. The official wanted your Geshha to come out to pick it up, but the man dropped the letter and left in a hurry, unable to shout, it’s really strange.”

After finishing speaking, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over respectfully.He Lin and Shen Shijie looked at each other in surprise.At noon, He Shen had sent Liu Quan's son, Liu Yin, to Fengtai Daying. He said everything that should be said, but why did he still deliver the letter? What happened?

However, when he went back to the room alone and sat under the lamp, he took out the letter and looked at it for a few times, the sweat on his forehead burst out.What kind of letter is this from the Hefu? It was clearly given to him by someone from Beihai Town, and it was signed by Zhao Xin.

"Come on!" Helin suddenly got up, and after a while, Geshha from the next room came in.

"Go to the post office immediately and ask the messenger what he looks like, how old he is, his accent, and don't let go of any details."

"Master, what happened?"

"Don't ask too much."

After the servants went out, He Lin returned to the lamp, took the letter and read it carefully.Every time he reads a few lines, he stops to think about it, and then reads it again, and repeats this many times.After watching it for the first time, Ghoshha has returned.

"My lord, I have asked you clearly. The postman said that the messenger was about fifty years old. He was wearing a blue fine cloth gown and a bamboo hat. He was more than seven feet tall and thin. He had a horn beard and his accent was the capital city." Yes. However, several members of the posthouse said they had never seen this person before.”

He Lin walked back and forth in the room for a few steps with her hands behind her back, and said in a deep voice, "Go and rest. Remember, don't mention this to anyone."

"Hey!" Goshha was confused, hesitated for a moment, and retreated.

At this time, Shen Shijie next door had already changed his clothes and came in. Seeing He Lin's solemn expression, he hurriedly asked, and He Lin handed over the letter casually.Shen Shijie sat under the lamp and looked at it carefully for a moment, his face already shocked.

"Understood? People have been watching our every move! From my point of view, the Northern Pirates in the capital must have a lot of eyeliner. What are Shuntian Mansion and Wucheng Bingmasi doing?"

He Lin slapped the table angrily, then sighed, and sat down on the chair.Shen Shijie blinked, got up, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for the other party, then pondered for a moment under the lamp, and then said: "Dong Weng, where is the Jamuna River mentioned in this letter?"

He Lin really knew, because Gurkha once invaded Zhe Mengxiong, he basically remembered all the mountains and rivers inside and outside the Tibetan border, and said in a deep voice: "It is the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, east of Brookba. Yes Yes, I have a picture in my bag!"

After finishing speaking, he got up and took the burden from the table case, took out a folded sheepskin from it, opened it and spread it on the table, and it turned out to be a map measuring one foot square.When he was in Gurkha, he drew it himself based on the surrounding conditions described by local businessmen, and it was also a reference for negotiating with Major Patrick of the East India Company.Although the painting is not very accurate, whether it is Gurkha, Zhe Mengxiong, Brookba, or the British East India Company and other states in the south, they are basically displayed on it, and the mountains and rivers that should be there are also marked.

The two crouched under the lamp, carefully looked at the rough map, and compared the contents of the letter from time to time.The room fell silent for a while, at this time the hailstorm outside had stopped, and it didn't know how long it had passed before it turned into the sound of pattering rain. The lanterns on the table suddenly exploded with a "boo", which shocked Shen Shijie so much that he trembled all over. !
After a long time, he took a deep breath, pointed to a certain place on the map and said, "Dong Weng, the North Sea Pirate is too ruthless! Then Zhao Xin wants us to grab food for him!"

He Lin got through it at one point, and his mind was instantly clear.

Well, as soon as He Ning signed the agreement with the British, Zhao Xin urged himself to go to North Bengal to grab territory.And it’s not just the Jamuna Valley Plain, Zhao Xin also proposed in the letter that he would support the imperial court with another batch of military supplies, the purpose of which is to allow the imperial court to take down all the land north of Awa in Myanmar. The shame of not withdrawing troops!
The guy also said in the letter that the so-called miasma was actually malaria caused by drinking unclean water and local food.It doesn't matter if you take cinchona cream or opium for this disease, the only effective medicine is only available in Beihai town.Now whether they are fighting in Annan or Java, they have never lost troops due to miasma.Therefore, in order to ensure the health of the Qing army going south, he will donate a batch of anti-miasma special medicine for free.In addition, he will also provide a batch of high-yielding rice seeds with a yield of more than [-] catties per mu. As long as these two places are knocked down and reclaimed by the army, there will be no shortage of food after the imperial court moves west.

"Crack!" He Lin's face turned ashen, and the teacup in his hand was thrown to the ground with a slam, smashing it to pieces!
Geshha in the next room heard the movement and hurried over to check, but when he just opened the door, he heard Helin in the room shout angrily: "Get out!"

Shen Shijie on the side saw this, got up and walked outside the door and whispered a few words, Geshha nodded in confusion, and then quietly went to guard the courtyard gate.

Shen Shijie was also shocked by the contents of the letter. He lived for almost 50 years. Although he is not a great scholar who is well versed in classics and history, he is still a well-read man after all.From ancient times to the present, there has never been such a rebel in any dynasty.In the eyes of this guy, Huanghuang Daqing has become a little pusher who opened up the territory for him, and he is playing like a monkey!Isn't this too brazen? !He could even imagine that if Qianlong saw this letter, he would definitely be furious.

However, Shen Shijie, who is a Han, suddenly felt a sense of sadness in his heart for no reason, and a smile could not help but appear on his face.Fortunately, this was Dahetian and no one could see him, so he stood on the porch for a while, letting the cool wind blow his sweaty body until he shivered, then regained his calm expression and entered the house.

At this time, He Lin in the room had already overcome the previous rage, but what followed was shock.The North Sea Pirates don't even take the terrible miasma seriously, and they also have special medicines, which is too shocking!If this is the case, then the smoky land in the south will no longer be the bad land and wildness that the northerners turn pale after hearing about it.

After an unknown amount of time, He Lin, who was sitting under the lamp, became more and more astonished at Zhao Xin's strange methods.Is it true that this person has the power of gods and ghosts, as the rumors say?When the dignified Qing Dynasty met such an opponent, could it be that it was really destined in the dark that the Hulu would not have a hundred years of luck?But it has been 130 years since the Qing Dynasty entered the customs, so what should I say?

In the early morning of the next day, He Lin went to the Old Summer Palace to hand out a sign to meet Qianlong.Because the other party was very interested and asked carefully about Gurkha and Tibet, he didn't dare to mention the letter last night.After meeting the gentleman, he went straight to Shuchunyuan, Heshen's mansion near the Old Summer Palace. The two brothers closed the door and talked for nearly a night that night. Except for Liu Quan, no one else knew what they said.

Three days later, a prisoner offering ceremony was held as scheduled.

First, the Ministry of War led a team of soldiers from the Firearms Battalion, Jianrui Battalion, and Shanpu Battalion to escort the Gurkha Regent and several leaders who were tied around the neck by Bai Lian. Enter, come to the gate of Taimiao Street, and stand facing north.When Prince Jia Yongyan, who was in charge of offering sacrifices, arrived with several clan princes and civil and military officials from various ministries, everyone immediately entered the Taimiao to hold a sacrificial ceremony.

After the ceremony, the prisoners were escorted by the soldiers to the gate of Sheji Street and stood facing north.Yong Yan and others then entered through the Nantian Gate of the Sheji Altar, saluting like a Spring and Autumn ceremony.

After the sacrificial ceremonies at the two places were over, the captives were escorted back the same way, from the west gate of Tiananmen to the right gate of Chang'an, while the officials accompanying the sacrifice went to the Meridian Gate.A group of Gurkha prisoners had never seen this before. They were escorted around by the sturdy Eight Banners guards, knelt and stood continuously, and they were already fainted before the Meridian Gate.

At this time, outside the Meridian Gate, all the princes, civil and military ministers gathered in the honor guards. They were so majestic, and the needles could be heard in the field.At the second quarter of Chenzheng, nine trumpets sounded shockingly on the Meridian Gate, and immediately the drums were full of music. The 64 pieces of drums were played by Changyinge full-time, and the melodious and deep singing sounded immediately:

"Haotian has a destiny, and it is based on this foundation. Wu Lie Wenmo, Shigu is Yi. I am the emperor, and I can overcome the rules. It is right to apply the sky, and it is not inappropriate to run out. One solution is like Haotian, and the time is explained. Thinking. Seek nothing from the people, and consult the emperor's holy god at night, Tianxi is heroic. Listening to the wise and seeing the clear, the French style produces knowledge. Combine and save, relieve the strings and play. The benevolence is generous, and the vitality is dripping. With Ji."

Amidst the sound of drum music, the 82-year-old Qianlong, with a smile on his face, sat on the Sumeru Throne in front of the Meridian Gate Tower, accompanied by Yong Yan, and the real captive ceremony began.

Inlaid White Banner Manchuria Dutong, Ministry of Industry Minister He Lin led the soldiers who escorted the prisoners, escorted the Gurkha regent Batur Saye to the Meridian Gate, first ordered him to kneel down to the great emperor on the tower, and then all the soldiers Put the letter box containing the head of the Gurkha head on the ground.

Qinggui, Shangshu of the Ministry of War, went forward to kneel and played, and said in a loud voice: "Squeeze Gurkha, capture the rebellious chieftain Batur Saye, etc., and get twenty heads of the rebellious chieftain. I would like to present it to you."

Qianlong, who was sitting on the throne with white beard and hair, said in a deep voice, "Hand over to the Ministry of Punishment for discussion, and wait for the punishment."

Following the confident voice of the eunuch delivering the decree, an old fat man in his 70s, wearing a top-ranked top, went to the bottom of the tower, knelt down on the ground with his horseshoe sleeves on, and said in a deep voice, "Minister Su Ling!" Purpose."

When the captives were taken down from the right gate of Tianan by the soldiers, princes and officials from the Meridian Gate also came to the venue to congratulate Qianlong.At this time, there were waves of shouts from the mountains and the tsunami: "I wait for the emperor to congratulate you! Long live the great emperor!"

Although He Lin, who was kneeling in the crowd, put on an excited and indescribable expression like everyone else, but for some reason, he suddenly felt that the scene in front of him was extremely absurd, and even he himself was overwhelmed by such thoughts. Startled, the sweat on the back of the spine burst out.

(End of this chapter)